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Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia

Author

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  • Hirvonen, Kalle
  • Wolle, Abdulazize
  • Minten, Bart

Abstract

As in many other low-income countries, fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is very low in Ethiopia. Consequently, micronutrient deficiencies, such as for Vitamin A, are widespread, and more than half of young Ethiopian children suffer from anemia. Efforts to increase FV consumption in Ethiopia have focused on improving consumer knowledge of the health benefits of FV and other nutritious foods. While these interventions have been successful in improving knowledge and ultimately improving dietary diversity, diets remain extremely monotonous across the country. Recent international research in this area suggest that high relative prices of FVs could be another important constraint. To shed more light on this issue, we assess the affordability of FVs in Ethiopia. Using expenditure and price data collected by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, we find that the average Ethiopian household would have to spend 11 percent of their income to meet the international recommendation of two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per person per day. This share is more than 2.5 times higher for households in the poorest quintile, indicating that meeting these guidelines is currently out of reach for the poorest households in Ethiopia. More investments and research attention to the production of fruits and vegetables is urgently needed to improve supplies and, hence, their affordability.

Suggested Citation

  • Hirvonen, Kalle & Wolle, Abdulazize & Minten, Bart, 2018. "Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia," ESSP research notes 70, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  • Handle: RePEc:fpr:essprn:70
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ibrahim Hassen Worku & Mekdim Dereje & Bart Minten & Kalle Hirvonen, 2017. "Diet transformation in Africa: the case of Ethiopia," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 48(S1), pages 73-86, November.
    2. Bachewe, Fantu Nisrane & Hirvonen, Kalle & Minten, Bart & Yimer, Feiruz, 2017. "The rising costs of nutritious foods in Ethiopia," ESSP research notes 67, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
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    Cited by:

    1. Bart Minten & Belay Mohammed & Seneshaw Tamru, 2020. "Emerging Medium-Scale Tenant Farming, Gig Economies, and the COVID-19 Disruption: The Case of Commercial Vegetable Clusters in Ethiopia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(5), pages 1402-1429, December.
    2. Aparna Rao & Risa Morimoto, 2020. "An Analysis of the use of Chemical Pesticides and their Impact on Yields, Farmer Income and Agricultural Sustainability: The Case for Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia," Working Papers 234, Department of Economics, SOAS University of London, UK.

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    Keywords

    ETHIOPIA; EAST AFRICA; AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA; AFRICA; fruits; vegetables; food prices; nutrition; diet; trace elements; health; dietary guidelines; micronutrients;
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